Norton SystemWorks 2003

by Symantec

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006FI0Z
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,854 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

A comprehensive set of utilities, Norton SystemWorks 2003 helps you avoid viruses, keep your PC running smoothly, and fix it when it doesn't. Think of Norton SystemWorks 2003 as a Swiss Army knife: you won't need all of the tools in it every day, but when you do need them you'll be very glad to have them.

Norton SystemWorks 2003 comes with Norton AntiVirus 2003, excellent antivirus software which now scans files downloaded through instant messages, as well as from the Web and POP3 e-mail. It also blocks viruses that try to spread through your e-mail, keeps your virus definitions up-to-date, and looks for virus-like behavior.

Similarly, many of the tools in Norton Utilities are both easy to use and powerful. It checks the Registry and your hard drive for potential problems you wouldn't otherwise see, and helps you fix them. While some of the older tools have been superseded by options in Windows XP itself, the Speed Disk defragmenter gives you more information and more options than the built-in tools in any version of Windows.

The tools in CleanSweep are useful for clearing out clutter on your PC, whether from applications you've downloaded and installed, or for cleaning up after your browser. While there are other ways to do all of that, and the tools in this version have been reorganized rather than updated, you do get a very clear and simple interface to work with rather than having to hunt around. Plus there's a new tool called Connection Keep Alive to stop your dialup connection from disconnecting when you're not actively using it; handy if you leave your PC while a long download is running.

This isn't a major upgrade, but if you don't already have a copy of Norton SystemWorks it's a worthwhile investment to make sure you're getting the most out of your PC. --Mary Branscombe, Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com Product Description

Symantec's Norton SystemWorks 2003 is a smart way to solve computer problems, with full versions of award-winning Symantec products and valuable additional utilities. Norton AntiVirus removes viruses automatically, scans both incoming and outgoing e-mail, and keeps itself updated to defend against new threats without interrupting your work. Now it also detects viruses in instant-message attachments. Norton Utilities optimizes your PC's performance and solves computer problems easily. And Norton CleanSweep removes unwanted programs and files that waste disk space.

The One Button Checkup tool in Norton SystemWorks makes it easy to assess the health of your PC and is now more powerful and flexible than ever. You can customize it to run only the scans you want, schedule scans to run automatically, and undo any changes it makes. Web Tools helps prevent dropped dialup connections when you're online and safely cleans up the clutter left over after Internet sessions. And Roxio's GoBack 3 Personal Edition restores your PC to a healthy state after a serious problem.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

125 of 129 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings, February 12, 2003

By 

Richard Clayton "Geek" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Norton SystemWorks 2003 (CD-ROM)

I have mixed feelings about Norton SystemWorks 2003. On one hand, I'm a longtime user of the SystemWorks family of products, and I feel no Windows computer is complete without vital Norton tools like SpeedDisk and WinDoctor. On the other hand, I've been terribly disappointed with this release of NSW. Here's why:

Primarily, NSW 2003 doesn't include any obvious updates to existing software. I upgraded from NSW 2001, and I really don't see any changes in the functionality of any existing tools. The color scheme and interface has been revised to match Windows XP's friendly pastels and rounded curves, but I really don't see any difference in the way the components actually work. So why upgrade?

Second, NSW 2003 does not play nice with older versions of Windows. In particular, it loads an executable into memory, whether you want to use any "active" tools (such as AntiVirus or Registry Tracker) or not. Under Windows 2000 and XP, this application runs as a service and doesn't cause any problems; but on my Windows 98SE platform, it causes noticeably slower startups and shutdowns, and occasionally causes the system to hang when shutting down. I realize that Windows 98 is now a bit long in the tooth, but Symantec really should have put more effort into making NSW 2003 compatible with Win98 if it is to be advertised as such on the box.

In summary: On one hand, Norton SystemWorks is a solid heir to a useful dynasty of tools for Windows. On the other hand, there is little if any advantage over recent editions of the software, and backwards compatibility is deficient. I suggest that if you have Win2k or XP and do not yet have Norton SystemWorks, pick it up. If you are running an older version of Windows or already have SystemWorks 2001 or later, pass this one by.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Hardest software to install ever, November 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Norton SystemWorks 2003 (CD-ROM)

I had the 2002 version and now have 2003. Should be simple, right? Just pop in the disc and upgrade very quickly--wrong! I've now spent approx 4-6 hours and still not complete. You must
first uninstall all previous versions, which I've done. Then I had to download from Symantec website the symclean.exe and still there's files showing on my harddrive that won't let me install the upgrade. This system works is supposed to keep the system running smoothly, but how can it when you can't even get it installed.

76 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bloatware, dangerware, and ..., May 20, 2003

By 

Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Norton SystemWorks 2003 (CD-ROM)

I hate to be harsh to products, esp. since I was a huge fan of Norton Utilities back in the late 80s/early 90s. But over the last couple of years I've been disappointed at many Symantec products, which seem more guided by greed than anything else. Peter Norton, where are you?

NSW 2003 continues the tradition of bloatware (lots of files and components, many surreptitiously loaded into your system at runtime even if you don't want them), dangerware (my Windows 2000 laptop went kaput after running WinDoctor and I had to reformat the hard drive), and ripping off the loyal customer (no upgrades from previous versions, as Richard Clayton clearly noted).

If you run Windows 2000 and esp. XP, you already have all the tools to help you diagnose your system and keep it running (except anti-virus). In fact those tools, while not as fancy-looking as NSW, does a much better job and are infinitely more stable. Also, your PC vendor might have given you other free tools like an anti-virus program, which is probably just as good as NAV. If you have Windows 98 or earlier, NSW will very likely crash your system rather than keeping it error-free. I recommend you upgrade to Windows XP, or find a better utility program.